Perpetual Luminosity
by Toorikosu
Summary: A flame that burns always, one would say it's as mythological as the Philosopher's Stone. Just as the Stone exists, so does the flame. An alchemist uses it to make herself known through Central but it's not because she's a hero. She wants revenge, on who?


Another fanfiction... About time, isn't it? I can't think of much to say. My witty phrases have been taken elsewhere. Anyhow, this is for FMA, my new favorite series. I'm not sure exactly where I plan on going with this so... I hope you enjoy it anyways. If I get any good reviews I might actually continue this. It'll be original, as I hope all my fics are, so sit down for the ride. This first chapter is short... only took me about 10 minutes once I got a hint of what I was actually doing. )( Sad to say, I'm still not sure what I'm doing here! > ;; Bear with me. )( There's one of my famous Custom Characters in here, but I promise she won't be Mary Sue. So... there's my worthless two sense. Enjoy?

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**Perpetual Luminosity**

Fire. It lit up the sky with an orange radiance. Dark streaks of gray were smeared across the unnatural background that was the sky. The air still smelled of sulfur. Cannon smoke curled in the sky in lazy strips of black. The sand, hiding bullet shells and heavy footprints, was clumped together and dyed a deep red. Off in the distance a child was crying. After a gun was fired, the sobs were ceased. Sniper barrels rattled off their shots still, and many people were still screaming. The resistance was dying. Soon it would be over, but not until the remainders gave up their weapons. Gunpowder reeked, buildings were crumbling, and bodies were sleeping their eternal slumber in the middle of the street.

A dead gaze drifted over the debris of which she sat upon. Blood stained her white uniform. Finally… color… Smoke curled from slightly parted lips. Filter fell from the smoldering tip; the gray ash dropping between her feet. The female coughed softly, grudgingly pushing her form from atop the military officer. "Ayuh, thanks for the smokes." She flicked the cigarette away, breathing out nicotine-scented smoke, and patted the corpse on his head. She slowly climbed down from the pile of jutting concrete then made her way down the street.

Her bare feet padded the sandy ground. That and the shifting of dingy locks upon her back were the only sounds made as she strolled her peaceful way through the chaotic streets. A maniac mother fled by, causing attention to herself therefore was shot. "Halt!" She did. The mother crumbled to the ground, her body curling up into a ball. Blood seeped from her back and pooled about her. Her baby lay crying in her arms, thrashing against its tattered bondage. "Are you of military status?" The woman turned. One eye stared over at the gunman. He seemed to cringe, but such could have been an illusion by the sulfurous smoke that swept between them.

"If you're asking if I'm a citizen here, you're mistaken. I come from Central." Relief washed over the young man's face. He instantly scrambled over to her. His gun was put at ease by his waist. "Thank goodness, during this mess it's hard to tell who's on what side." The woman nodded. "Sure is hell out here." She drawled out slowly. Upon gazing at her face, his body flinched. Hesitantly, he nodded in agreement. He pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket and swept it across his sweaty brow. "Are you one of the medics? That's no military uniform." She stared down at her clothes as though just now taking them in. "Ayuh, mine was torched badly. I had to salvage these from the Reformatory. You can get me some fresh clothes?" The man smiled. He was young, possibly 23 at the most. "S-sure." He jabbed his thumb over his right shoulder. "We got a small camp o'er there. Where's your unit stationed?"

"There's a small band of military from the State near Station Nine." She told him. There actually was, they came from Eastern State though. She had encountered them while slipping through her window's bars. Fortunately, a land mine had suddenly erupted and blew out the Reformatory's wall. It was easy to pull away from their grasp during the confusion. "Oh yeah! I have a friend of mine over there. His name's Charlie Andrews. You've met him?" She had never met a Charlie Andrews, and didn't care to ever meet him. However she gave the man a grin. "Yeah, Chap. He'll be out for nomination soon, won't he?" The officer seemed to flush at this comment and nod. "Hope so. We used to work real hard together until this here battle started. Charlie and I were split into two different stations. Oh yeah, my name's Daniel," He shoved out his sweaty, ash-stained hand. "Daniel Hubbard." She shook his hand firmly. "And I'm Rave Vail."

"Rave Vail? Never heard of you, you say you came from Central?" Daniel asked. Rave nodded. "Sure did. I was transferred here about three, maybe four years ago." Daniel seemed satisfied with her answer. "Well, let's get you out of that. You look criminal in that outfit." He turned his back to her, leading the way to his station. She followed, her bare feet shuffling over chunks of rock. "Criminal, eh?" Daniel laughed but gave her an apologetic smile. "Out here during this battle, everyone looks criminal. Don't feel bad about it. You get that wound during all this?" He pointed to his left eye. Rave reached up, slowly dragging her fingers across her eye patch. "Nah, this has been here quite a while." He nodded. "How'd you lose it?" She stepped around another body. "Accident from my childhood. I kept messing with some lady's tools. Lost control of it and damn thing took my eye out. Almost lost my right one too." Daniel winced at the thought. "Must've hurt." Rave laughed softly. "Only as much as it does to have someone stab you in the gut and twist the blade 360 degrees."

"If we don't watch out, that could happen during this mess. The people around here are ferocious." Daniel laughed softly. Rave's single eye turned on him. "Of course they are. The State's invading their home and taking prisoners without any hint as to why." Daniel cast as nervous glance in her direction. Apparently the topic was rather touchy. "We can't help it. It's a battle that they brought upon themselves." The single eye still stared glumly across to him. "You call this a battle? This is nothing short of a massacre."

Found short of words, Daniel trotted forward to find his superiors. He waved to them and smiled. "Hey! This is an officer from Section Nine. She needs a new uniform and quick. Possibly firearms too." He looked back at Rave. She gave no indication, so Daniel continued. "She's a good friend of Chap's." A tanned man stood and bowed. "Nice to meet you, Miss. Any friend of Chap's is alright in my book. And your name?" Rave's eye turned to their truck, staring at a crisply laid out outfit that signified military status. "I would like to change from this wretched outfit as soon as possible. May I?" Daniel nodded, eagerly snatching up the clothes and handing it to her. "Here!" Rave took the outfit, trekking behind the truck where she made no haste in stripping and redressing.

"What's your lady friend's name?" asked the same male from before. Daniel was stuttering for words. While Rave dressed, it was effortless to eavesdrop on them. She was out of sight yet still able to hear the dimwitted fellows talk about her. "Says her name's Rave Vail. You hear of her, James? After all, you've been stationed her longer than I have. She also said she's been here for about three years."

"Rave Vail!" There was a clattering of chairs that plummeted to the ground. There was a scuffle of feet. "She's that bitch alchemist of Lior Reformatory! She's –" The sentence went unfinished as a muzzle was pressed to the flesh of his neck. "I appreciate your hard work, boys. I'll take my leave now." Rave, now fully clothed and fully armed, stepped backwards. Her gun was still aimed at them and nobody moved. Daniel's bewildered face shot back and forth between her gun and her face. "But Rave! You said you knew Chap!" Rave gave a slight shrug, her arm tilting the gun to its side. "For about two minutes. He's over there at Section Nine, a smoldering lump of flesh." The gun fell, hooked by her first finger before she snapped. A barricade of flames ignited around their small camp. This fire burned white, flickering black embers with a soft cackle. She turned on her heel and took off running.

"After her!" someone yelled. There was a strident scuffle of boots, but no one jumped through the white flames. "It's… it's like Colonel Mustang! She's a flame alchemist!" Another man began to sob. "We're going to die!" A smack of flesh sounded, followed by a shout. "Don't touch those flames!" Their distinctive voices droned out as a loud siren went off nearby. Rave ran to a truck, tried the door, and found it locked. She looked around, pulling a blanket from the truck's bed. Wrapping it around her fist, she punched through the window. She unlocked the door and climbed in. A spare key was under the floorboard mat, a secret known amongst military men. She took this key and jammed it in, turned it, and the engine sputtered to life. Gripping the wheel, she pressed down the gas and swerved. The truck sped through sand as she fled. Behind her, more cannons exploded. The siren was dying out now. Lior fell dead to hear ears.


End file.
